Van Battery Bank

Upgrading Our Van Battery Bank. One of the best things about Van and RV Camping is having convenient access to a power source. Keeping devices charged, lights on and air flowing through your van makes things much more comfortable.

In this post, we go over the process of Upgrading our van battery bank to a dual 6-volt battery bank system. Upping our Campervan Battery setup to a whopping 400 amp-hours.

Upgrading Our Van Battery Bank

Our DIY Power Station worked out perfectly for two summers. Easily powering our small fridge, lighting, and Maxxair fans all while being conveniently recharged by our onboard Renogy DC-DC charger.

With that being said, we have decided to increase our power capacity and add a couple hundred more Amp Hours into the mix by Upgrading Our Van Battery Bank.

DIY Power Station / Solar Generator

We made use of some old Van Electrical Components by building this simple DIY Power Station and Solar Generator. It is still Goin strong and has come in handy on so many occasions. especially when being used to charge Onewheel’s on off-grid adventures with The Sideways Movement.

Design Thinking

Some ideas we thought about before, during, and after the build.

AGM VS Lithium

Everywhere you read about lithium being the best battery option to use in a Campervan or a DIY camper electrical system. We seriously considered using the Renogy Lithium batteries, but in the end, we decided to use Dry Cell AGM batteries from Discover.

Deciding Factors

Lower Cost: matching the equivalent amp-hours using Lithium Batteries would cost more than twice the cost of AGM.

First-Hand Experience: Our DIY Power Station uses a Discover Dry Cell AGM Battery, and I have been blown away by the longevity and durability of this battery. Over the years of use and abuse, this battery has been deeply discharged countless times with who knows how many cycles. and it is still going strong.

Intended Use: we don’t need the latest and greatest battery technology. Personally, I feel the money it costs to buy lithium would be better used in another part of this huge project.

Where To Install Our Van Battery Bank

Originally, I always had it in my mind that we would install our campervan battery setup underneath the van. This would free up space within the van and make for a cleaner and larger living area. After much deliberation, we chose to use the space under our Campervan Dinette Booth Stage.

How Many Amp Hours Do We Need In Our Van

Even though our previous campervan battery setup had a small capacity of 90 amp hours, just enough to cover our minimal power requirements. This decision was pretty easy. As much as we could fit.

Battery Rep Help

I reached out to our local Canadian Energy and asked them for help tracking down possible options with a height or width equal or less than 7”. Taking into account our intended use, they suggested two of the Discover EVGT6A-A Dry Cell Traction Batteries. These 6V AGM batteries are tanks, pun intended! 😂 We will mount them in series to make 12v. Charging 6-volt Batteries In Series With 12 Volt Charger

Now Let’s Take A Closer Look At How We Installed A New Battery Bank In Our Weekender Van Life Ram ProMaster Campervan Conversion

Upgrading and Installing A Battery Bank in Our Van – How We Did It

Disclaimer! This is how we installed the battery bank in our van. DO NOT take this information as professional advice. Do your research and make your own decisions accordingly.

The Tools

The Materials

The How – Installing Our Van Battery Bank

This is not so much a How-To, more me showing you how I made it. You can do it the same way, or you can draw inspiration from this post and make something with your own ideas.

Step-1 Install Tie Down Points

We installed eyebolts into our Dinette Booth Stage. This platform is bolted down using the factory tiedown points. Plenty strong enough to hold the batteries in place.

Step-2 Install and Strap Down The Batteries

The Dry Cell technology in these batteries allows them to be mounted on their side. A ratchet strap is run between the eye bolts to strap the batteries down

Step-3 Van Electrical System Connection

Connecting to our already existing electrical system was relatively quick and easy.

We terminated the wire ends with ring terminals. #ProTip For the best connection, use the correct size Lug Crimping Tool.

Campervan 12v Wiring Diagram

Our DIY 12v Campervan electrical system is wired to the following schematic.

Step-4 Test

Our Conversion Van electrical system powered up as normal and we are good to go 👍

Our New Van Battery Bank Is ✅

As it stands our van electrical system is pretty minimal. We will add some additional components in the future but right now it is working well. We are very happy with the new battery bank in our van.

Interested In Some More Of Our Van Electrical Systems?

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Van Carbon Monoxide Safety

Thanks for reading, and remember to always take the road less traveled!

Weekender Van Life – Van Life Blog – weekendervanlife.com

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